Autism in the News – Tuesday, 01.04.11

Scientists Test ‘Trust Hormone’ For Autism Fight (National Public Radio)For decades, parents of children with autism have been searching for a drug or diet to treat the disorder. Their latest hope is the hormone oxytocin. It’s often called the trust hormone or the cuddle hormone. And just to be clear, it has nothing to do with the narcotic oxycontin. Read more.

Apple iPad, iPod Touch might help people with autism take steps toward independence (nj.com)With a simple touch, Marc Rader knows what comes next in his day. The 13-year old taps the tablet computer screen, and a picture of the kitchen sink pops up, accompanied by his mother’s voice. Read more.

Families Have Mixed Reactions to New Autism Insurance Mandate (Fair Grove, Mo.)A number of Missouri children are now eligible for insurance coverage of their autism therapies. That’s because a new Missouri law requires insurers to cover $40,000 a year of applied behavioral analysis for children through age 18. Read more.

With support, ‘positive outcomes’ possible for those with autism (Monmouth, N.J.)Tabitha Cooper was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome on Sept. 11, 2004 at the age of 23. Her diagnosis explained a lot of the struggles she’d battled in high school. Cooper said she wasn’t diagnosed when she was younger because many people thought autism was a mental disorder. Read more.

New Law Expands Services for KY Children with Autism (Frankfurt, Ky.)The New Year brings Kentucky a new law that requires insurance companies to cover the diagnosis, treatment and therapies of children with autism. Former state representative Scott Brinkman of Louisville, who is the father of a 26-year-old son with autism, sponsored the legislation. Read more.

Autism insurance mandate begins with new year in Missouri (Jefferson City, Mo.)Several thousand children will become eligible for insurance coverage of their autism therapies as a Missouri law takes effect Saturday. For thousands of others, their parents will continue to have to pay out of pocket or simply forgo the costly treatments. Read more.

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my two older brothers have autism. i’m tried of talking to people who dont anything about it. i need someone besides my family to understand what italking about their autism. i tried of all the stares. thank you for educating others and giving support to others.

Hi Bri. I’m the Mom of two autistic kids and I’d like to suggest your family gets into a support group– a fun one!–or maybe even start one. Our group [that I started as the only one around was state run and for parents only] meets at Denny’s once a month just to hang out with each other –and of course on Tuesdays the kids eat free! Another Mom and I [from the same church] and I started it. It didn’t work trying to start it for autistic families only though, so we opened it to all with disabilities. But most of the special needs kids that come do have autism. We all have a lot of fun!….It also helped my older kids without autism to be friends with other families that had autistic kids when they were younger…They are grown now, but still sometimes come to our support group. Hope that helps some…God bless.